Chuck McCann Movies
The son of musical arranger Val McCann, rotund American comic actor Chuck McCann began working up laugh-getting routines while attending high school. A nightclub performer at 17, McCann made regular, well-received appearances on Steve Allen's various network programs even before he was twenty. In 1959 McCann launched a local Manhattan kid's show, Let's Have Fun, where he hosted Laurel and Hardy comedies and read the newspaper funnies -- with appropriately zany voices for such characters as Little Orphan Annie and Dick Tracy. His gift for mimickry was a godsend for the many novelty records and animated cartoons for which McCann provided voiceovers (he was still a cartoon regular into the '90s). As a film actor, McCann offered a brilliant, noncomic performance in 1968's Heart is a Lonely Hunter; and in collaboration with his friend Harry Hurwitz he co-wrote and starred in a marvelous pastiche of old movie clips and new routines titled The Projectionist (1971). Chuck McCann's greatest fame rests securely on his many appearances as Oliver Hardy (with such actors as Jim McGeorge and Larry Harmon in the Stan Laurel role) in TV commercials for everything from gasoline to pizza, and for his recurring appearances as the "Hi, guy" nosey neighbor in the Right Guard commercials of the '60s and '70s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
This made-for-cable series features comedy performers starring in various skits and satires. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1982
In this comedy a producer of "B" movies makes a film featuring a has-been cowboy star in the hopes that he can bring back his failing studio. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chuck McCann, Robert Staats, (more)
- 1979
In this drama, a suburban housewife shows great inner strength when she must suddenly keep the family together after her husband suffers a complete breakdown and falls into an irreversible catatonic state. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzanne Pleshette, Tony Roberts, (more)
- 1977
This episode is something of an amalgam of the Martin-and-Lewis legend and the much-later TV series The Sopranos). Jim (James Garner) is hired to protect over-the-hill comedian Kenny Bell (Chuck McCann) from his mean-spirited former partner Lee Russo (Robert Quarry), only to find himself implicated in Russo's murder. At the same time, Kenny must ransom his "funny box", a catalogue of jokes that has been stolen. These two plot strands are connected by a sex scandal within a Mob family, which certain parties are determined to keep secret at any cost! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Sex and the Married Woman stars Joanna Pettet as a housewife and Barry Newman as her liberal-minded husband. Encouraging his wife to find her "inner self," Newman has no notion that Pettet will translate this invitation into writing a book based on the sex habits of her friends and neighbors. The book becomes a best-seller, Pettet becomes a celebrity, and Newman seethes with envy. When first telecast in 1977, Sex and the Married Woman was advertised on the basis of its large cast of celebrity cameos (Jayne Meadows, Keenan Wynn, etc.) Virtually ignored was the fourth-billed F. Murray Abraham, seven years away from his Oscar win as Salieri in 1984's Amadeus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
This feature-length animated cartoon was based on the "Peanuts" characters created by comic-strip artist Charles M. Schultz. The gang is shipped off to summer camp, where Charlie Brown gets a "Go away and leave me alone" bunkmate, and where CB's beagle Snoopy ends up winning most of the athletic trophies. The Snoop also has a running feud with a mean-spirited pussycat. Meanwhile, budding feminist Lucy organizes an anti-boy campaign amongst the girl campers. The bulk of the action transpires when the gang builds a raft to enter a dangerous shoot-the-rapids race, only to be outclassed by the professionally built vessel picked up by their competitors. Happily, pluck and luck wins out over arrogance and mean-spiritedness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greg Felton, Stuart Brotman, (more)
- 1976
Housewife Barbara Eden loses her husband Peter Bonerz to seductive Liberty Williams. After the divorce, Eden becomes incensed that Williams is flaunting her victory. To get even, Eden begins dating notorious playboy Hal Linden. Now it's Bonerz' turn to suffer the pangs of jealousy. Made for television, How to Break Up a Happy Divorce first lit up the TV tubes of America on October 6, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
A Cry for Help (working title: End of the Line) stars Robert Culp as an acerbic, Don Imus-like radio talk show host. When one of his callers, an anxious young woman, threatens to kill herself, Culp laughs it off. Later, however, he realizes that the girl wasn't kidding, and mounts a frantic effort-with the help of his loyal audience-to locate the would-be suicide. Richard Levinson and William Link's script stretches the tension level to the snapping point, and you'll love every minute of it. Made for television, A Cry for Help originally aired February 12, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
When a NASA spaceship is inadvertently launched, two crewman are taken for the ride of their lives. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Chuck McCann guest stars as Tinker Jones, a mute, itinerant coppersmith. When he wanders into Walnut Grove, Tinker also finds himself in the middle of a community tiff over purchasing a bell for the church. Haughty Mrs. Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) offers to purchase the bell, but only if it is "dedicated" to her. Without saying a word, Tinker neatly solves the dilemma. Featured in the cast is a very young Sean Penn, the son of episode director Leo Penn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1974
The terror begins when dewey-eyed Peggy O'Malley (Lynne Marta) enters the United States after a flight from Canada, her leg encased in a plaster cast. But Peggy has not broken or even sprained anything: she is using the phony cast to smuggle a 20-dollar plate, stolen from the Canadian mint, past US customs. All the while, the hapless girl is pursued by the man who killed her boyfriend, and who will leave a trail of death in his wake while tracking her down. By the time Kojak (Telly Savalas) picks up the villain's trail, a doltish innocent bystander (Chuck McCann) has been swept up in the intrigue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This TV movie stars Stockard Channing as an "ugly duckling" who is dumped on by everyone with whom she comes in contact. After her heart is broken by a callous campus jock, Stockard tearfully speeds off in her car and is involved in a serious accident. Plastic surgery is required, and when Ms. Channing emerges from behind the bandages, she is ravishingly beautiful. She uses her new attractiveness to exact revenge on those who'd wronged her, murdering her former nemeses in a variety of creative ways (for example, she entices a nasty cheerleader to back-flip out of a high rise window). Police inspector Ed Asner is called on the scene when the death rate soars, only to find himself falling in love with the crafty Ms. Channing. Despite its morbid plotline, The Girl Most Likely To... is actually a comedy, written by none other than Joan Rivers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stockard Channing, Ed Asner, (more)
- 1973
A three-day vacation at a sparsely populated skiing resort turns into hell on earth for Bob and Emily. Not only are they stuck with the company of an obnoxious couple in the next room (all four vacationers share a single bathroom), but the Hartleys end up snowed in when they try to escape back to Chicago. The limit comes when, while trying to sneak out of a dreadful floor show, Bob and Emily find themselves the show's main attraction. The guest cast includes Chuck McCann and Joyce Van Patten as the spectacularly irritating Mr. and Mrs. Miller, Allen Garfield as the resort manager, Danny Rees as Sanford Hattie, and John Melock, Rudolph Schmelk, and Jie Kier as "the band." Written by Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses (and loosely based on one of the team's best comedy routines), "Let's Get Away From It Almost" originally aired on January 6, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1972
Written and directed by Bonanza star Michael Landon, "The Younger Brothers' Younger Brother" is one of the series' zaniest episodes. It all begins when Hoss Cartwright is mistaken for one of the notorious Younger Brothers, who have recently resumed their criminal activities after a 12-year prison term. Thrown in jail, Hoss must depend upon Ben and Joe to bail him out-only to end up sharing a cell with his father and brother when they, too, are mistaken for Youngers. Meanwhile, the real Younger boys, led by Cole Younger (Strother Martin), demonstrate the monumental stupidity that landed them in the slammer in the first place. "The Younger Brothers' Younger Brother" first aired on March 12, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1972
Play It As It Lays offers what is probably the harshest view of Hollywood to be given a major production up to the time of its release; it depicts a world of narcissistic egotists who will do anything to inflate their own sense of importance. Based on the novel by Joan Didion, it tells of the rise and fall of one woman's acting career. Maria Wyeth (Tuesday Weld), a model, began her acting career in a Warhol-like film, and moved "up" to perform in a biker film. The director of both films, Carter Lang (Adam Roarke), discovered her, and soon afterwards, marries her. As Carter's career moves ahead, he pays less and less attention to Maria. She has a number of affairs to try to brighten her world, but nothing much works. When she gets pregnant by one of them, Lang divorces her. Then, her best friend (Anthony Perkins), who tried to bring about a reconciliation between Lang and her, commits suicide. Her world in tatters, she has a nervous breakdown. The film's story is told in flashbacks while she is in recovery. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1971
The animated feature The World of Hans Christian Andersen is a product of Japan's busy Toei cartoon studios (it was originally released as Hansu Kurishitan Anderusan No Sekai). Two classic Andersen tales, "The Little Match Girl" and "The Red Shoes," are linked with the framing story of young Hans Christian Andersen's efforts to bail out his financially strapped shoemaker father. A happy ending is had by all when the Danish governor, enchanted by Hans' storytelling, makes the boy his official ward. The World of Hans Christian Andersen was brought to the States by Hal Roach Productions, the Canadian-based descendant of the famed Hollywood comedy studio of the 1920s and 1930s. The English-language voiceover work was scripted and directed by comedian Chuck McCann and artist Al Kilgore--both members in good standing of "The Sons of the Desert," the fraternal organization dedicated to the memory of Hal Roach's biggest stars, Laurel and Hardy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on the novel by Carson McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter stars Alan Arkin as John Singer, who is deaf. Singer moves from a small town in order to be close to his institutionalized friend Antonapoulos (Chuck McCann), who is deaf and mentally impaired. Singer rents a room with a family whose father, Mr. Kelly (Biff McGuire), is unable to earn a living due to a serious injury. His teen-aged daughter Mick (Sondra Locke, in her film debut) is at first resentful of Singer's presence, but he ingratiates himself by introducing her to classical music (which he can "feel," if not hear). Singer likewise tries to brighten the lives of such unfortunates as alcoholic Blount (Stacy Keach Jr., also making his first film appearance), dying black doctor Copeland (Percy Rodriguez), and Copeland's poverty-stricken daughter (Cicely Tyson). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Arkin, Sondra Locke, (more)
- 196z
A "Blast From the Past" of comedy featuring Dick Cavett and Johnny Carson. From 1953 Johnny plays "Aunt Blabby" and shows how to stuff a turkey and from 1967, Cavett interviews Harrison and McCann. ~ All Movie Guide
Mark Frost, the writer and director best known for his work with David Lynch on the TV series Twin Peaks, made his feature film directorial debut with this convoluted thriller. Cray Fowler (James Spader) is running for congress, partly to satisfy his own political aspirations and partly to resolve certain controversies in his life; he divorced his wife after discovering that she was unfaithful, and his father committed suicide after he became involved in a scandal regarding valuable oil rights. While on the campaign trail, Fowler is persuaded to visit Lee Tran (Charlotte Lewis), a waitress he meets at a fund raiser. Fowler and Lee Tran have sex, which is caught on videotape; as if this isn't strong enough blackmail material, Lee Tran's father turns up dead in the room where Fowler wakes up. But Lee, not Fowler, is charged with the murder, and Fowler, a lawyer, agrees to defend her in court. Fowler wins the case against beautiful District Attorney Natalie Tate (Joanne Whalley-Kilmer), Fowler's former girlfriend, but now he needs to find out who is trying to set him up and for what reason; he hopes he can get some help from his uncle, Clifford Fowler (Jason Robards), a political kingmaker of the old school who knows all the family's secrets. The supporting cast includes Piper Laurie, Michael Parks, Chuck McCann, and Woody Strode. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Spader, Joanne Whalley, (more)
- 1990
- R
Erik Estrada stars as an arms dealer, smuggling weapons from China to South America, who's being pursued by a pair of sexy female secret agents. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Erik Estrada, Dona Speir, (more)
- 1989
- R
Fans of movie industry satire will want to see That's Adequate, an all-star production which spoofs the popular series of documentary films honoring MGM's musical comedies, That's Entertainment. Narrated by Tony Randall, this mock-history chronicles the film output of the second-rate "Adequate Film Studios" during its six precarious decades of existence. At times the humor gets very broad, including a fair amount of vulgarity. We see clips from such Adequate Studios monstrosities as "Singing in the Synagogue," and "Sluts of the South." Some of the stars enlivening these parodies are Bruce Willis, Robert Downey, Jr., James Coco, Anne Meara, Professor Irwin Corey, Jerry Stiller and Robert Vaughn. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Randall, James Coco, (more)
